E-Verify Bill Passes Out of Judiciary Committee

In a 22-13 party line vote, the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday passed legislation by Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX) that would require all employers to use the E-Verify employment verification program. The legislation, entitled “Legal Workforce Act” (H.R. 2885) includes limiting the number of documents employers may accept to verify employee eligibility and increases the penalties for employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens or fail to use E-Verify.

In May of this year, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a similar bill passed by Arizona giving states the green light to pass mandatory E-Verify legislation. As a result of that decision, the business community, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, is now pushing for a federal mandatory E-Verify bill to make the system uniform across the nation.